Award

We continue our Prospect of the Week award, an honor (virtually) given to one Tampa Bay Lightning prospect for their recent contributions on and off the ice.

The Prospect of the Week for March 4 is … Ondrej Palat, W, Syracuse (AHL – USA).

Ondrej Palat liked being Prospect of the Week so much he did it again.

The Syracuse Crunch winger had his first career hat trick this past week, scoring three goals on Tuesday against Rochester. He was named first star for the Crunch in their 4-1 win. After a scoreless game against Albany on Friday, Palat had a power play goal in Syracuse’s overtime loss on Saturday.

We continue our Prospect of the Week award, an honor (virtually) given to one Tampa Bay Lightning prospect for their recent contributions on and off the ice.

The Prospect of the Week for February 12 is … Alex Killorn, C/W, Tampa Bay (NHL – USA)

More than five years after his draft day, Alex Killorn made his NHL debut for the Tampa Bay Lightning at the world’s most famous arena.

Killorn, a third round pick of the Bolts in 2009, had an assist on Sunday in the Lightning’s 5-1 loss to the Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Killorn started on the third line, but worked his way up to a scoring line with Vincent Lecavalier and Teddy Purcell by game’s end. He brought grit on the forecheck and his willingness to play in front of the net resulted in an assist.

The Lightning brought Killorn to the big club to add size and skill to the Bolts’ third line. Dana Tyrell was waived and assigned to AHL Syracuse.

We continue our Prospect of the Week award, an honor (virtually) given to one Tampa Bay Lightning prospect for their recent contributions on and off the ice.

The Prospect of the Week for January 30 is … Nikita Kucherov, W, Rouyn-Noranda (QMJHL – Canada)

Lightning prospect Nikita Kucherov made his 2013 QMJHL debut last week after missing nearly the entire month of January because of his participation in the 2013 World Junior Championships in Russia and rehabbing an injury he sustained in the tournament.

Bolt Prospects has learned that Kucherov sustained an arm injury when he was knocked to the ice late in the tourney. He returned to Quebec immediately after the WJCs to heal.

When he was deemed healthy again, Kucherov wasted no time finding the scoresheet for the Huskies, notching a goal and an assist on Friday in a loss to fellow Lightning prospect Artem Sergeev and Val-d’Or. The next day he mirrored his Friday effort with a goal and a helper in a loss to Chicoutimi. Finally, he produced a goal and two assists on Sunday in a big win over the Sagueneens to give him three goals and seven points in three games last week.

We continue our Prospect of the Week award, an honor (virtually) given to one Tampa Bay Lightning prospect for their recent contributions on and off the ice.

The Prospect of the Week for January 23 is … Cory Conacher, W, Tampa Bay (NHL – USA)

Last week the North American sports world’s biggest headlines were about a story that was fake. During the college football season, Notre Dame’s Manti Te’o was the subject of multiple stories documenting his inspirational play in memory of his deceased girlfriend. It was a heart-wrenching story… until it was proven to be false. Te’o was allegedly the victim of a hoax and his girlfriend never existed beyond someone’s imagination.

The American sports fan was already cynical, and now their ability to engage in an emotional story will take a greater hit.

After a break for the World Junior Championships, we continue our Prospect of the Week award, an honor (virtually) given to one Tampa Bay Lightning prospect for their recent contributions on and off the ice.

The Prospect of the Week for January 15 is … Artem Sergeev, D, Val-d’Or (QMJHL – Canada)

Artem Sergeev is what we call a “bonus pick.” He went undrafted twice, but the Lightning saw enough in him last season to commit an NHL contract to him as a free agent on July 1.

This week we continue our Prospect of the Week award, an honor (virtually) given to one Tampa Bay Lightning prospect for their recent contributions on and off the ice.

This week’s winner is the only person to walk on this earth that can say he completed his Harvard University degree while winning a Calder Cup championship.

The Prospect of the Week for December 17 is … Alex Killorn, C/W, Syracuse (AHL – USA)

No one can claim they completed their Harvard degree while winning a Calder Cup championship except Alex Killorn.

Killorn made his AHL debut late last season for the Norfolk Admirals after finishing an outstanding collegiate career at Harvard University. He finished his last Harvard paper during Norfolk’s Calder Cup run, contributing three goals and 12 points when he wasn’t hunched over his computer.

This week we continue our Prospect of the Week award, an honor (virtually) given to one Tampa Bay Lightning prospect for their recent contributions on and off the ice.

This week’s winner said good-bye to his club team with a dramatic exit.

The Prospect of the Week for December 10 is … Nikita Kucherov, RW, Rouyn-Noranda (QMJHL – Canada)

A lot is expected of Russia this month at the upcoming World Junior Championships. The city of Ufa, Russia, is hosting the tournament, and the Russians will not settle for anything less than a gold medal.

With the NHL mired in a lockout, a lot of attention will be on the tournament from North America, too, especially in hockey-rabid Canada.